Obey One's Conscience

[ancient_paztriot]

Hayagriva dasa: Fichte believes that true atheism consists in “… refusing to obey the voice of one’s conscience until one thinks that one can foresee the succes of one’s actions and thus elevating one’s own judgement above that of God and in making oneself into God. He who wills to do evil in order to produce good is a godless person.”

 

Srila Prabhupada: If you do not know God or His orders, how can you verify your duty? Do you simply manufacture your duty? Anyone can do that. First of all, you must understand what is meant by duty. Duty means following the orders given by your superior, but if you have no superior, if you have no conception of the Supreme and His order, how can you knwo your duty? Of course, you may imagine your duty. Is this what he advises?

 

Hayagriva dasa: He is vague on this point.

 

Srila Prabhupada: Becasue he does not know. According to the Vedas, we have definite, prescribed duties. Society is divided into eight divisions comprising the varnasrama-dharma. there are four varnas (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra) and four asramas (brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa). Whateverr you do, you must function according to one of these varnas or asramas, and there are duties prescribed for each. If you follow the principles that are set forth specifically for each stage of life, you are doing your duty.

 

Hayagriva dasa: For Fichte, our knowledge of God arises from the enactment of our duty.

 

Srila Prabhupada: That is all right, but what is our duty? God must assign our duty for us to understand God by enacting our duty. But if we have no conception of God, how can we know what our duty is?